Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania 4-H members engage in national-level discussions
10 Pennsylvania 4-H members attended the National 4-H Conference
As part of an effort to bring youth voice to high-level government discussions, 10 Pennsylvania 4-H members attended the National 4-H Conference, April 19-24, at Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Washington, D.C. (photos by Penn State University)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As part of an effort to bring youth voice to high-level government discussions, 10 Pennsylvania 4-H members attended the National 4-H Conference, April 19-24, at Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Washington, D.C.
The 4-H’ers representing Penn State Extension were David Gober and Melissa Griswold, of Chester County; Mara Ours, of McKean County; Mikayla Deiter, of Perry County; Lex McCurdy, of Lawrence County; Savannah Hein, of Franklin County; Chrisalyn Mitchell, of York County; Zoe Kelter, of Bucks County; Garrett Hubbard, of Bedford County; and Jaylene Everhart, of Centre County.
“National 4-H Conference allowed me to collaborate with like-minded change-makers to create suggestions for problems I’m passionate about,” Griswold said. “This event showed me how much of an impact youth can have on our country and has inspired me to try to continue to create positive change in my nation.”
During this event, 4-H members ages 15-19 participated in roundtable discussions on pressing national topics. After a few days of brainstorming and preparation, the youth presented their ideas to a federal agency.
“Every year, this program reminds me of the power in youth voice,” said Jeanette Stackhouse, Penn State Extension 4-H education specialist for leadership and civic engagement. “Many in our society look down on teenagers, but this conference reinforces to me that they are our future, and they have great ideas to share to solve big problems.”
Griswold worked on a roundtable focused on adolescent health and well-being.
“My fellow delegates and I identified areas of teen health we felt could be improved: nutrition, mental health, reproductive health and drug use,” she said. “Then, we created recommendations on how to improve each of those areas and shared our ideas with the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Within her roundtable, Griswold concentrated on nutrition and offered suggestions such as improving food literacy by bringing farmers into schools to educate youth on where their food comes from. Her group also proposed a personalized meal plan system that uses artificial intelligence to suggest a balanced, nutritious diet and provide sample recipes tailored to individual lifestyle factors.
Gober’s group examined how to increase youth recruitment in AmeriCorps and suggested updating the website, application and social media.
Ours’ roundtable was titled “Promoting Inclusive and Welcoming Communities.”
“Many of our suggestions revolved around learning how to combat bias, celebrating our differences and educating others,” she said. “This event has taught me how to work with diverse groups of people to reach a common goal. I have also learned a lot about our government and its procedures.”
Kelter’s presentation looked at rural and agricultural youth development.
“We touched on topics related to making rural areas more attractive for young adults to move to and strategies for retaining those who already live there,” she said. “We believe that health care, education and internet connectivity are some of the key reasons why youth feel forced to leave their rural communities.”
In addition to participating in roundtable discussions, the 4-H members met new people from different parts of the U.S. and took a night tour of the Washington monuments. They also spent a day on Capitol Hill engaging with their senators and representatives.
“Touring the city and meeting with different representatives and officials allowed me to become involved with my community while also giving me the opportunity to explore and learn,” McCurdy said.
“This experience has helped me to grow connections around the country and the world,” Gober said, pointing out that some delegates came from the Northern Mariana Islands. “I will take away the information that I learned about working with others to solve problems.”
Calling it a life-changing experience, Deiter said she was grateful for the opportunity to attend.
“I met so many amazing people and even visited the Pentagon,” she said. “My biggest takeaway from this experience is that if there is something you want to do, go after it. When I applied, I wasn’t sure if I would be accepted, but now I know that putting your name out there and just trying is what brings big rewards.”
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website at https://extension.psu.edu/
–Alexandra McLaughlin, Penn State University
A Pennsylvania court ruling is reshaping abortion access in the state, striking down a decades-old ban on using Medicaid to pay for abortions and declaring that the Pennsylvania Constitution guarantees a right to abortion.
The decision came Monday from the state’s Commonwealth Court. In a 4-3 vote, judges ruled in favor of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and invalidated the state’s restriction on Medicaid-funded abortions.
Local abortion-rights advocates praised the ruling as a major step toward protecting access for low-income residents. Adrienne Daily, co-founder of Johnstown for Choice, said, “Everybody should have the right to that. If you restrict the coverage, you’re obviously discriminating against those that have lower income.”
Opponents of abortion rights called the decision a dramatic expansion of the court’s power and warned it will force taxpayers to pay for procedures they oppose. Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, said, “Taxpayers now in Pennsylvania will have no choice under this court ruling to fund abortions. And there are many, many millions of Pennsylvanians who think abortion is wrong. It’s the taking of an innocent human life and to force taxpayers who conscientiously object to abortion to then fund it is just plain wrong.”
Abortion-rights advocates pushed back, arguing abortion access is healthcare and a personal decision. Daily said, “This is a family issue. This is a personal issue. This is a bodily autonomy issue.”
Pro-life leaders also warned the ruling could have broader implications for other abortion-related laws. Geer said, “It is sweeping and there’s no question it’s judicial overreach.” He added, “If this ruling stands, it will invite attacks on every remaining pro-life safeguard that has been put into law by lawmakers at the behest to the people of Pennsylvania over decades.”
The case could still be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. That decision lies with Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday. His office has not provided a response, but the Associated Press reported a spokesperson said the office is reviewing the decision and did not say whether it will appeal.
Johnstown, Pa. (WJAC) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just released this year’s list of inductees, and a new clothing store just opened in the Johnstown Galleria.
What do these two things have in common?
If you grew up listening to 90’s hip-hop, then you’re probably familiar with the Wu-Tang Clan.
Wu-Tang Clan member opens clothing store in Pennsylvania (WJAC)
They said, “We’re in the building right now, we’re out in Johnstown making it happen, fashion and rapping, and Wu-Tang, you already know Wu-Tang is the witty, unpredictable talent and natural game. So, it’s all grassroots with us, man. We do everything from scratch.”
They’re being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, and Darryl Hill, aka Cappadonna, and manager Al “Heck” Felder are opening the Pillage, a clothing store in the Johnstown Galleria, selling apparel with a purpose.
Cappadonna said, “‘Cappadonna,’ that stands for ‘Consider All Poor People Acceptable, Don’t Oppress Nor Neglect Anyone,’ and we stand on that.”
They were introduced to mall owner Leo Karruli through Mustafa Curry, a childhood friend from New York, who owns a store on Main Street in Johnstown.
Heck said, “BK Styles, I’ve got to give a shout out to my boy, Mustafa. They’ve got some apparel down there, too. We’re all over. We’re spreading the word and we’re spreading the love.”
Wu-Tang Clan member opens clothing store in Pennsylvania (WJAC)
Their other clothing line, Angry Elephant, promotes being good stewards of the Earth, with a portion of the proceeds protecting the animals from poachers.
They said they believe in always putting God and family first.
Cappadonna said, “When you recognize the God in us, then you can see the God in you.”
They said they want kids to know that violence is not the answer, and it doesn’t cost anything to be kind.
Cappadonna said, “We just want to say that it’s nice to be important, but it’s even more important to be nice.”
A mother and her six children died when their Central Pennsylvania home exploded and caught on fire Sunday morning, state police said.
The explosion and fire happened at around 8:30 a.m. at a home on Long Run Road in Lamar Township, Clinton County, which is roughly 35 miles from State College. Crews arrived on the scene and found the home fully engulfed in flames, with the mother and her six children trapped.
State police identified the 34-year-old woman who died in the fire as Sarah B. Stolzfus. Her 11-year-old son, 10-year-old son, 8-year-old daughter, 6-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and 3-year-old son also died in the blaze, according to state police.
A propane leak inside the house might’ve caused the explosion and fire, state police said. Propane tanks outside the home did not explode or contribute to the fire, according to state police.
The explosion and fire are under investigation by state police.
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